That Butler, Baser Manners Expert
by sailormoon125
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive is in a foul mood. His fiancee has complained to him about his indifference towards her displays of affection and questions Ciel if he even likes women. Infuriated, Ciel is determined to prove her wrong and learn 'the moves', but given his lack of experience he is at a loss, that is...until Sebastian graciously offers the young master very hands on...lessons
1. Chapter 1: That Butler, Expert

Ciel Phantomhive found himself in particularly foul mood this evening. In an attempt to distract himself, the earl had shut himself in his study, throwing himself into his Funtom work. His concentration was forced, his mind -distracted. As he poured over stacks of tedious documents, a soft knock broke him from his straying thoughts. Ciel drew in a sharp breath. _Marvelous. Just what I need now._

He gritted his teeth and pretended as though he hadn't heard the door in a foolish attempt if he did not answer the summons, perhaps he'd be left to himself. To Ciel's dismay, the rap on the door did not cease, but now grew louder. Ciel slapped his hands on his desk and exhaled.

"Oh, alright, come in." The earl feigned a bored voice to cover up his frustration.

A tall man with porcelain skin and obsidian hair glided into the room, the back of his tailcoat gently lifting in the air as he closed the door behind him, wheeling a trolley cart with tea service. Even when performing a menial task such as this, the butler looked elegant as ever.

Ciel flashed Sebastian an irate stare. "What do you want, Sebastian? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Precisely. Since you've been hard at work all day, young master, I've taken the liberty of preparing you a evening snack." A dim smile graced Sebastian's lips. Ciel lowered his eyes to his butler's slender, satin clad fingers which held onto a Swiss Meringue, decadent with whipped cream and a dozen maraschino cherries neatly placed along the edges.

Sebastian set the delectable dessert before the earl, however, Ciel did not even make a move to take the succulent dessert. The butler raised an brow and tilted his head. "Is something the matter, sir? It is not like you to refuse dessert. You seem…rather preoccupied, if I do say so."

"It's nothing," Ciel said quietly. "I'm just not particularly hungry." Without even glancing at Sebastian-or the dessert-he put down the paper. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips, but Sebastian, of course, caught it.

The butler scrutinized his master with an odd stare; Ciel reciprocated him with a dark one. Like the earl ever tell his butler what was _really_ in his mind. Besides, if he did, he had no doubt the demon butler would ridicule him.

Sebastian lifted a brow in mounting skepticism. "Are you sure-"

"Of course I'm sure! Besides, it not as if _you_ could help me with this dilemma."

"Master, you realize I cannot help you if you do not speak to me of what is troubling you." He paused upon noticing the earl's silence and then his voice dropped an octave. "If there is anything the young master needs," said Sebastian, a lilt now coloring in his tone, "I am all but ready to assist him in any manner he desires me to..."

With cheeks aflame, Ciel jerked away, averting his butler's amused eyes of crimson.

"If -if I told you. I'm certain, you'd only laugh at me as some sport."

"I will not," said Sebastian at once.

Ciel eyed him doubtfully. _"Really..._?"

Sebastian smirked. "You know well enough that I cannot lie, young master."

"Fine," muttered Ciel, pressing his hands together. He could hardly look Sebastian in the face. "It's er, about…Lizzie."

"Lady Elizabeth?" repeated the butler, mildly surprised.

Ciel gave an unsteady nod and unlaced his fingers from underneath his chin. A flush crept over the boy's pale face, tinging those round cheeks a deep, rich pink.

Sebastian's lips curled. "May I inquire what exactly is the young master's problem concerning the lady?"

Ciel fiddled with his hands, embarrassed and unsure of how to phrase it.

"Lizzie and I have gotten into some childish squabble recently. She has complained to me about my indifference towards her affections, and how I lack a romantic bone in my body. She is so worked up over this little matter she even had the brazenness to question me if...if young ladies weren't my cup of tea."

"Well, are they your cup of tea?"

With force, Ciel stood up erect, his hands thudding on the mahogany desk. "Is that any way to address your master?" he whispered in frosty accents.

"Please pardon my jesting, sir." Sebastian bowed. "That is quite the predicament the young master has found himself in."

Ciel glared, picking up on his butler's usual sarcasm masked in a veil of concern. "In any case, I've been thinking of ways I could remedify that in order to pacify her and set things right…however, given my lack of knowledge in _these things,_ I fear I am at a loss on how to proceed…" Ciel's voice trailed off. He tightly curled his hands, for he knew what he was about to request would amuse the demon butler to no lengths.

"I…" he began, "I…need lessons in baser manners, Sebastian. I need to learn…the moves…"

Ciel shut his eyes. _There, I said it._ He slowly opened his eyes and what he saw infuriated him _. S_ ebastian's lips quirked the moment the words slipped his lips; some unspeakable gleam stole across those vermilion eyes. Ciel swore. "You...blasted...dem-"

 _"The moves,_ my lord?" interjected Sebastian. He traced a finger along his curved mouth, a movement Ciel found rather distracting. "If the young master wishes a lesson in baser manner, he only need but to ask. Heavens know, you could learn a thing…or two."

" _You_ teaching me -in these...sorts of things?"Ciel forced a sarcastic laugh. "Don't be absurd. You're a demon. What could you possibly know about baser manners?"

Sebastian's lips twitched. "Well, I'm not one to brag, my lord but..." He flitted past Ciel without a second glance. Ciel arched an brow as Sebastian picked up …the cherry Meringue?

"I had prepared this for tonight," Sebastian murmured, plucking two cherries by their stems and raising them into the air. Then he glanced down at the two pockmarks in the cream with a sigh. "A pity that some of the décor is missing now."

Ciel tore his gaze from the dessert and narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. "What the deuce are you planning to-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Sebastian lowered his raised arm and dropped the liquor soaked cherries into his mouth.

Ciel blinked.

Sebastian began masticating the fruit. His mouth moved in slow, deliberate movements, a serpentine smile breaking out across those sinful lips. Though he couldn't see it, Ciel knew well enough that Sebastian's skilled tongue was at work, swirling around the fruit and devouring the cherries with avarice.

Vermilion eyes bore into cerulean, almost smoldering. The butler lowered his lids, letting his thick, dark lashes fan out. His eyes glowed with humor as his master watched on transfixed, beads of sweat forming along his cupid's bow, those mismatched eyes not leaving Sebastian's lips until the butler pursed them open. Ciel's breath caught as Sebastian inserted a long, slender finger into his mouth and retrieved two cherry stems, tied together, from the tip of his tongue.

At the sight of the double knotted stem in Sebastian's outstretched hand, Ciel's midnight blue eyes widened like saucers.

Sebastian bent down over the mahogany desk until he was eye to eye with the boy. "A small display in baser manners, young master," he whispered. He purposely exhaled as he spoke, letting his moist breath ghost across Ciel's face, the scent of cherry sweet on his tongue. Ciel's chest rose sharply; his muscles coiled, ripe with tension. It took all his restraint to keep a straight face; to keep his pride intact from Sebastian.

Sebastian looked down at Ciel, eyes glistening with mirth. "Have I passed the test to start teaching the young master, his lessons in baser appetite?"

Ciel took a deep breath, trying to regain mastery of his voice and his controlled demeanor once more. He gave a reluctant nod. "Yes, Sebastian, you may...proceed."

"Very good, young master," said Sebastian, the depths in his eyes glimmering fuchsia. _"In that case, let the lessons begin."_


	2. Chapter 2

"Let us start our second lesson, my lord." Sebastian stood in front of the wooden desk, a finger tracing his lips in contemplation, as if deciding the most proper place to begin.

" _Hold on_." Ciel stood up from the armchair, cocking a brow. "You just said second lesson. What happened to the first?"

A tight-lipped smile slithered across Sebastian's lips. "The first has just been completed, young master. I have just demonstrated to you the means to affect another at a near proximity without direct touch. Face flushed, biting down on one's lips, sweating, irregularities in breathing -these are all tell-tale signs that the 'moves' as you call it, are working. Your reaction to me moments ago demonstrated this quite nicely."

Without a second thought, Ciel grabbed the cherry meringue in front of him and threw it at his butler's face.

Sebastian, however, caught it effortlessly. "Pray, do compose yourself, young master." Palpable irritation creased his brows as he rearranged a crooked cherry. "Lady Elizabeth will think even poorer of you if your volatile temper is made apparent."

Ciel glowered, but made no means to protest. Instead, he slouched back into his Queen Anne armchair, his attention drifting to the cherry stems lying on the desk.

An unsteady ringed finger pointed to the double knotted stem. "Are-are you going to teach me that?"

"Pardon my impertinence young master, but one cannot ride a four-wheeler without learning how to ride a bicycle first. I daresay you'll need a bit more, ah, practice before attempting those sorts of...tasks."

Heat swipe his cheeks. Ciel bit the hollows of his cheeks and fought the need to retreat from his butler's amused stare. This whole matter was utterly improper on so many levels.

As if sensing his hesitance, Sebastian murmured, "Young master...if this is all too much for you, you are free to stop whenever you wish." Despite his customary tone, Sebastian's voice dripped with challenge.

Gathering bravado, Ciel steeled his face. "You should well know by know I don't back down from a game. And right now, this is nothing more than a game to me." He caught Sebastian's gleaming eyes. "One that I have every intention of winning."

"In that case, why don't you prove it?" he whispered.

"I think I will." Ciel took a step towards Sebastian. The latter watched in silence as the boy stuck out a pale, creamy finger and trailed it along his suited arm. Ciel glanced up, but only to become piqued at Sebastian's indifference to his antics. The butler wore a mask of imperial boredom.

"Do put a little more effort into it, young master."

Ciel flinched at those bruising words. Throwing propriety out the door, he stood up on his heels and flung an arm around Sebastian neck, his fingers wrapping around and brushing against that the silky obsidian hair. To the earl's satisfaction, a muscle twitched along Sebastian's jaw; The enigmatic black flecks in his crimson eyes darkened. Noting this with a relish, Ciel smirked and busied his other hand, tracing his fingertips in small circles around a button on Sebastian's waistcoat.

"Well?" Ciel whispered. "How about now?" He made his voice resonate, smooth and rich -just like the baroque violin Sebastian's fingers played so deftly.

"I suppose it is passable."

"Tch. _Just_ passable?" Ciel disengaged himself from Sebastian, a sneer on his lips. "I'd like to see you do better."

"Very well, my lord, I shall endeavor to do just that." Using his mouth, Sebastian tugged off his satin glove with exaggerated slowness, finger by finger.

Ciel's palms grew sweaty; his pulse sped up with mounting anticipation-for what, he didn't know. Or perhaps he did know. At once, he chided himself from his foolish, illogical thoughts. This was exactly what Sebastian wanted. To make him lose control. To manipulate him like a chess piece without his awareness. Reminding himself the reason why he was doing this in the first place, Ciel narrowed his vision. "What are you do-"

Before he could finish, an instant pressure on the back of his neck made him he suck in a sharp breath.

"Shh." Sebastian placed his ungloved hand behind his neck and pressed down on it, his smooth, sculpted fingers massaging a patch of skin in languorous movements. "This shall be your second lesson, young master. This here is an erogenous zone, an area filled with nerve endings which makes it sensitive to the slightest touch."

A wave of shivers stole over Ciel's whole body like an electric current. It was as if he'd become nothing but a bundle of nerves, his entire body becoming one erogenous zone. Unable to look at Sebastian, he clamped his lids shut, but only to have fuchsia orbs burst behind his eyes and skilled hands pressing deeper into his flesh. This was the first time he felt Sebastian's bare skin on his. It felt utterly foreign. Even when the butler had assisted with rinsing and lathering his hair during baths, Sebastian always wore gloves. Being so used to it, he had never gave it much thought -but this...this was giving Ciel a little too much thought.

Sebastian increased his pace, pressing down even harder on him. Ciel's breath betrayed him, coming out hitched and ragged. Judging the way Sebastian's eyes danced at him, the butler noted it with utmost relish, not even having the decency to feign an inkling of shame. Sebastian's lacquered like fingernails now grazed his skin, as if marking him for his own. The earl clenched his hands; some strange and foreign feeling gnawed inside him, something carnal that threatened to spill from his confines. He was mere moments away from reaching his threshold, from imploding.

" _Enough_ of this debauchery." Ciel jerked away Sebastian's hand. He had come so close to losing their game. "I asked for lessons in baser manner," he said in a breathy voice. "Not lessons in how to become some licentious rake." He flashed Sebastian a look of mild disdain.

"I apologize, young master. Perhaps that was a bit...much for you."

"As if." Ciel lifted his nose, watching Sebastian's hand slide back into his glove. "You still haven't given me a proper solution to my dilemma, Sebastian. That move is much too forward to work on Lizzie. Aren't there any other erogenous zones other than this?"

"Plenty, young master." Sebastian faintly smiled and his gaze traveled across Ciel's face. "Lips...earlobes..the nape of the neck." His thick lashes fanned out as crimson eyes traveled lower, leaving Ciel feeling more than a little self conscious.

"The chest...the inner arms, the fingertips," continued Sebastian, moving lower on his frame,"the base of the tailbone...the area around the navel..." And then Sebastian's flickering gaze dropped even lower.

Ciel's cheeks burned. Sebastian slowly returned his gaze to his master's face.

"You blasted-"

"Perhaps, you should concentrate on targeting the Lady's fingertips for now, young master, seeing you are still a novice..."

Ciel glared at the subtle mockery lacing Sebastian's voice, but tried his best to ignore it. "Fine, but how?"

"Well, there are many ways, but perhaps the best for you would be through...a dance."

"You know I can't dance," he grumbled. "Much less be suave while pulling these moves."

"In that case, allow me to show you how to apply baser manner during our third lesson -a close contact Viennese waltz." Sebastian went forth to set the gramophone to a classical waltz piece. When the sweet, lulling violin music drifted into the air, Sebastian extended his gloved hand to Ciel, lips upturned. "Come, my lord," he whispered.

Drawing in a deep breath, Ciel reluctantly reached for Sebastian's hand. In one fluid move, the butler curled his fingers around Ciel's waist, drawing him near.

"Do watch your feet, my lord."

Ciel tried his best to follow Sebastian's lead, though his feet fumbled every down and then. When he stared down to get a proper footing, he caught sight of Sebastian's feet and felt his cheeks heat up at the way the moving fabric hugged the butler's toned legs to perfection. Rebuking himself, Ciel forced his face up.

"Is something the matter, young master?" Sebastian's voice was smooth and lilting, sticky as a spiderweb.

"No...everything's fine." Ciel gave him an irascible stare, averting those dancing eyes. Before long, the music swelled with fortissimos, the notes smooth, sensuous, and potent as they swirled around the duo. Ciel glanced up at Sebastian, heavy-lidded.

"Sebastian, what's the name of this song? It's...nice."

"It is a classical waltz piece, young master -titled as ' _My Sweet and Tender Beast' "_ Sebastian's eyes glowed with humor.

The earl clicked his tongue as the song tapered away and a new one began playing -this one much more fast paced, rife with sharps and flats. A piece Ciel had known well -a song Sebastian had played him once before.

"A variation of Johann Sebastian Bach's _Toccata and Fugue_ ," Sebastian answered before the question left Ciel's lips, "-adapted for a darkly passionate waltz."

As the music room filled with heady, wistful sounds, Sebastian once more resumed his tutelage. "Now young master, it is time to incorporate our previous lesson into this dance."

Before Ciel could question him, Sebastian fingers slipped from his waist, and then dipped lower.

 _"Sebastian, what are you-"_

"Shsh, young master." His other gloved hand rested on Ciel's lips. "Did you forget that the base of the tailbone is one of those zones I mentioned?" He began tracing it, unbearably slow. "A small touch here can have the most _profound_ affect."

"Y-you..."

Sebastian didn't bother to take his hand off as he continued the dance. Ciel could've swore Sebastian's slippery fingers inched even lower as the music's increased its pace. He give the butler a sharp, warning glare, but curiously, made no protest. The rhythm begin to build up to its climax. When the crescendo hit, Sebastian dipped Ciel without warning. Back arched, Ciel drew in a sharp breath, his eye patch loosening, and involuntarily grasped Sebastian's lapels by both hands to steady himself.

For longer than a few decent moments, the master and butler stared at each other, holding fast to their positions. Obsidian tendrils of hair fell upon Ciel's forehead. Sebastian's face hovered over his, the intoxicating scent of eau de cologne,Twinnings tea, and that distinct musk of his butler wafting under his nose. A shiver ran through the earl; for a split second he could barely recall what he was supposed to be doing. His contracted eye blazed at Sebastian fervently, though his lips gave no verbal order.

"My foolhardy young master," Sebastian whispered. Taking a gloved hand, Sebastian tugged off the loose eye patch; it drifted to the ground, unmissed.

Ciel wetted his lips. Glowing eyes pinned his gaze, burning with the mark of their contract. Something flickered deep within those fuchsia depths, something unbidden, something almost perverse. A raw hunger...an unbridled desire. But perhaps most noticeable to Ciel were those sinful lips that were but a hair's breadth away from his own.

Almost of their own accord, Ciel's fingers reached for the black tie that was falling out of place. " _Sebastian..."_

"C-ciel...?"

Ciel's eyes flashed; he jerked himself from his butler's impassive face to the sound of the voice. Bright green eyes stared at him from the doorway, growing twice their usual size. Rosy lips parted agape, something akin to confusion and shock marring those delicate features.

At once, Ciel felt the color drain his face. _"Lizzie..."_

* * *

Author's note: Sorry for the head-hopping and ambiguous pronouns :v I didn't spend much time editing this. Someone really wanted me to post another update to this series on ff, so well, here it is. I'll probably be putting this little series on hold. Atm, I'm working on the next couple of chapters on my other Kuro fanfic, Book of Cipher, which contains a much more substantial plot than this. It's a mystery romance that's much more interesting for me to write about ^^ (Sebaciel solving ciphers, cryptograms, riddles, and hidden messages galore). If you want to check it out, it's up on my archivesofourown account: ThatMysteryWriter.


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